Bittersweet
by Lady Aduka
Summary: -HIATUS- Can a small city like Domino change the lifestyle of a 16-year old girl who's a product of a broken family? Yes. How? Read to find out!
1. Prologue: Welcome to Domino City

**Bittersweet **~by: DarkTwilightZero

**Author's notes:** Whew! It's been a while ever since I started writing fanfics again! This time, I'm gonna try my luck writing a fanfic about my latest favorite anime, Yu-Gi-Oh! That darn writer's block kept me from writing for a while, and for this 'miraculous' recovery (lol!…^^) I hereby thank autumn! Watching all those falling leaves made me blue and inspired…weird, ne? Okay, so I'll stop blabbering now. Standard disclaimers apply (and I'm sure that you guys are tired of seeing this sentence in every YGH fic, or better yet any other fics!), and that is I don't own Yugioh. (eyes Takahashi's law pplz) Got that?! Aniweiz, enjoy!!!!

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**-PROLOGUE-**

I still don't get it, why are we transferring cities again…even though my mom explained that it's because of her job as the manager of Simulae Inc. (I made that one up). Geez, this is the 5th time that we transferred places! Easy for her part to adjust because she's already an _adult_ but me? Little did she know that I already memorized my lines that I will say to my new schoolmates…

_"Hi! My name's Devlon Jean! Nice to meet ya all!"_

Sheesh…

So there I was, looking out the window of the passenger seat of my mom's car, ignoring the traffic jam that was facing us on our way to our new home. Admist all of the honking and the beeping, I still managed to relax thanks to my handy CD Walkman. It was then that mom tapped me at the shoulder to talk to me for a while. I grunted and took the headphones off. 

"So , how do you find this place so far?" she asked in order to start a conversation. 

"Are you being sarcastic, mom?" I raised an eyebrow. Does she mean how do I find the city, or how do I find the traffic? Mom logic… I chose not to answer her question instead. Dropping sounds came from the roof, and I realized that it started raining. "So, this is Domino City?" I said sourly.

"Yes, it is. It might look gloomy now, but trust me you will like it. My boss said so, he's going to transfer here as well."

I leaned forward slightly, towards her. "But back in Twilight, things are perfectly alright!"

"Correction, _were."_ She slightly forwarded the vehicle and rested her shoulder on the door beside her. It was then that I remembered something. My mom and dad just talked a few days ago, and from the looks of their conversation I can't say that it was all good. Sad to say, they are divorced…and to put it straight I spent the half of my life without my dad beside me…

I calmed down and rested my hands on my Walkman that was on my lap. "It's because of dad, right?"

Mom sighed. "Let's not talk about that subject, shall we?" Finally the traffic jam ceased and it was all a smooth ride towards our new home. I looked out the window again, putting my headphones back on. Why can't we be complete again? Leaning on the glass, that question continued to boggle my mind until we reached our destination. Upon arriving there, we did all the necessary stuff of bringing our things inside.

While mom was talking to the movers, she motioned to me, "Why don't you go inside for a while and pick your room, Dev? I'll be joining you in a sec."

"Yessmom," I waved a hand, hoisted my backpack and went inside. I never bothered with the living room and the kitchen since they are not related to my motive anyway. What caught my attention is the white staircase inside, then a white door located beside it. Opening it, I had to say that it was amazing. The room was huge! It had a balcony,  some sliding doors…it was perfect! Not to mention relaxing, thanks to the magic of those magnificent green wallpapers. I stood in shock at the doorway.

"Well, it seems that you've already chosen your room," Mom was standing outside, leaning on the doorframe. 

I looked over my shoulder. "Can I, mom?"

She shrugged. "There are still more rooms in this house. I don't mind at all."

Usually, anyone would glomp their parents with happiness. But not me. A smile was enough to show my thanks…

"Oh yeah," she added. "Get prepared for tomorrow. It's going to be your first day at school."

I froze in my tracks, just when I was about to go to the balcony. "What school, mom?" She was about to answer when her cellphone rang. "Domino High School," she replied shortly before attending to her call. 

"Domino High, huh?" I repeated. Opening the balcony door, I closed my eyes and felt the fresh winds that brushed myself after a rainy afternoon…

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Well? How do you find it? That's all for now, gonna start writing chapter 1! Don't forget to review before you leave! Thousand domos!! ^__^


	2. Culture Shock

**Bittersweet ~ **by DarkTwilightZero

**Author's notes**: ^______________________________________________________^  Waii!! A whopping 14 reviews!! That's the most I ever received in a fanfic!! Thanks to all of you who reviewed, especially to **Child of the Stars!! **Don't worry, I promise I'll write more soon! Hehe…^____^ From now on, I'm gonna insert review responses in every chapter! So I'll stop blabbering now, here's chapter 1! Enjoy!!

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**-CHAPTER ONE: CULTURE SHOCK-**

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Arriving home from school, I spotted a red car parked on our garage. That looked familiar, I said to myself. I tightened my grip on the straps of my messenger bag and ran towards the gates. I could hear the rugged breathing of my body accompanied by my loud footsteps. It was all so blue, like that of a silent cinema. Swinging open every door that I come across, I made it all the way back to my room. 

_Now that was strange. Where is everybody? Where's mom?_

_I heard the balcony door crash open, blown open by the wind. There were two figures outside…a man, and  woman… they turned around and it gave me the chance to see their faces clearly. "Mom! Dad!" I exclaimed. Dad smiled at me warmly then invited me to his arms. I gladly accepted and hugged him tight. "What took you so long to return to us?" I asked._

_"Me and your mom have some unfinished business before, but now that it's settled I can live with you again."_

_"We're going to be complete at last!" I eyed my mom happily, and she nodded. I find myself in between the warm hugs of my parents, hot tears running down my cheeks..._

_ When suddenly I heard something beeping in the distance…_

BEEP BEEP! BEEP BEEP! BEEP BEEP!

"What the hell?" I said aloud, a bit sleepy before glancing at that cursed thing above my head. My eyes are still blurry from all that snoring, which I had to comment that it was the most relaxing sleep that I ever had. And that dream of having us together…

BEEP BEEP! BEEP BEEP! BEEP BEEP!

"Dad…" I whispered.

BEEP BEEP! BEEP BEEP! BEEP BEEP!

"Can that really happen?" Touching the glass of my picture frame containing our pic, I went silent for a while…

BEEP BEEP! BEEP BEEP! BEEP BEEP!

"That's it!!!" I yelled furiously, before snatching the clock behind me, and just as I was about to shut it forever my eyes caught sight of the time. 7:30! 

I stood in shock on my bed… 

"**Oh no!!!"**

When I finally got downstairs, I heard mom snicker. "What's so funny?" I managed to ask while tying my shoelaces.

"Had a fight with the alarm clock again, sweet?" She crossed her arms and observed me amusingly.

"Yeah," I nodded and rushed over to the dining table. 

"I'm sure the alarm clock company's going to thank you for making them rich," she joked, fixing the collar of her business suit. "That was the 20th alarm clock that you destroyed! Let me guess what comes next…a lifetime supply of those tick tocks. Geez, that means I'll have to order another one again…"

"Very funny, mom.." I glared at her playfully before gobbling up the rest of my breakfast. Heck after all, I'm in a hurry! "Gotta go now!" I gave her one last kiss before I went out.

Now if there's one thing that I forgot…it's the location of my school. People look at me as I rush on the sidewalk, asking directions to my new school. I hear some of them ask each other about my clothing which makes me raise an eyebrow. What's the big deal anyway? Passing by a game shop, I looked at the glass and observed my outfit. Brown cargo pants, a white t-shirt with the word "WING" on it and a red hooded jacket with my former school's logo printed at the back. Match them with a really cool sunvisor and red and while sneakers and you've got the hippiest kid on the block. 

 An old man came out of the shop and saw me. 

"May I help you, young girl?" he asked nicely.

Whoa! That was surprising. "Uh…which way is Domino High School?" He pointed the directions, and after which he said, "My grandson Yugi goes there too. He's at 1-A (I'm not sure about his classroom no.! So don't blame me, okay? They haven't mentioned that in the series…I think. Oh well…please bear w/ me! ^^;), and if you've got any questions you can just ask him."

"Uh…okay. Thanks mister!" and I dashed off. The man wondered while watching me go. "Since when Domino High allowed students to wear casual clothes? She must be a transferee…"

At last, I finally reached Domino High School, and I took moment to look at it from the outside. "Huge…but not as huge as my former school," I mumbled. "Why did mom ever bothered to enroll me here anyways? Sometimes, I don't understand adults…" I took a deep breath and went inside the school grounds. It was then that I noticed that no one's out…except me. What's going on here?! Looking at my schedule, it says that my classroom is 1-B. Now that gave me a whole new dilemma…

How the heck am I going to find 1-B inside that HUMONGOUS building!?

Alright, so that's it. Here I was, walking around my new school like some kind of an idiot. Frustration clouded my brain, and when I can't take it anymore, I stood in the middle of the hall and yelled, **"Great! Just great! How the hell am I going to find that stinking classroom inside this stinkin' building?!?! Aaarghh!!!" **

It seems that my yelling brought some results: various people searching the source of the noise and finding me in the middle of it all. I smirked. "Good."

When suddenly, a dark shadow towered above me, and I came face to face with this really fat guy. He looked at me with his shiny spectacles and knitted his eyebrow. "Ahem…do we have a problem miss?" 

_This is not good…_

"So you're the new student here at Domino High," the guy whom I came to know as _the Principal grumbled, sitting on his swivel chair in his office. "I see that we have some sort of mishaps on our first day." He interlaced his fingers and leaned towards me._

I sweatdropped slightly and found myself grabbing the edge of my chair. "It's not my fault if this building's just so freaking darn big," I mentally spat, my tongue was itching to say that line. Damn this place!

"Devlon Jean, am I correct?" he asked.

Gulp. "Yes sir."

"Your classroom is on the second floor. And for your convenience, there are signs located at the top of every door so that you won't get lost. Now I suppose that will make things easier, hm?"

"Much easier." Grabbing my backpack, I stood up from my seat. "Can I go now?"

He waved his hand, telling me to go away. I pouted and left the room, mentally cursing everything that made my life a living hell for the past 45 minutes. _Shit…_

Now, where was my classroom again? Oh yeah, on the second floor. I slapped my forehead for being so stupid. Now that I'm thinking about really huge schools, my former school back at Twilight City was much bigger. And when I say much, I do mean MUCH…

And they don't require uniforms. Unlike here, where I got the attention of the entire school population gawking at my outfit. The girls were wearing these really skimpy pink tops and blue skirts, while the guys are showing up in their military-style uniforms. Lol, my mother never told me that the school has a dress code! Mental note to self, buy your uniforms as soon as possible! "Sigh…"

Looking up at last, I found 1-B. I hope that this place meets up to my expectations the moment I step in…

"…and now, we have these formulae for speed – " The teacher of the class was cut off by me sliding the door open. The students inside turned their heads toward me and scanned myself from head to toe. 

"Uh…is this class 1-B?" I meekly asked, blushing a bit. Stupid question, Devlon Jean. You saw the sign outside, of course it is! Because of that _oh so stupid question, I gained the snickers of the students inside…__damn._

The old teacher raised an eyebrow. "Yes, this is class 1-B. And you must be the new student that the principal told me about." He looked at his class record and in my opinion, he was finding the name of that new student. "…"

"Err, I'm Devlon Jean sir. Sorry for being late…Hehe…" I scratched the back of my head and my fingers brushed against the Velcro of my sunvisor. Quickly, I took the cap off.

"Ah yes! You're that transferee from Twilight Academy. Before you take your seat, why don't you introduce yourself to your classmates?" He pointed to the students in front of me, and I gulped inaudibly…8 rows, 5 columns…that means this classroom can hold up to 40 students. Looking at them just makes my knees shiver. 

"Uh…hi, just like I mentioned before, my name's Devlon Jean. I'm 16 years old and we just transferred here from Twilight City. Um... I guess that's all, so I'll be going back to my seat…"

"Do you have any questions for Ms. Jean, class?"

I stopped to a halt. What the?! Damn this teacher for not letting me sit soon! I tried to keep all my temper inside and hid them behind a smile. That's when a hand was shot up. It was from this brown pigtailed-headed girl. (You thought it was Tea, don't ya? *wink*) 

"Excuse me, but why aren't you wearing the prescribed uniform for girls? It makes me wonder as to how you got past that roaming principal wearing that outfit." She asked, pointing to what I was wearing. The others nodded.

"Well, he knew my situation so he allowed me to wear this for a while. Second, I haven't bought my uniform yet…" I answered honestly. 

I was bombarded with other questions, so it took me a while before I can finally sit down. When I found the reason why, I had to stifle a laugh…

It was for them to avoid taking their class.

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When lunch finally came, it surprised me as to why nobody was going outside to eat. Everybody was fishing out boxes of some sort – wait, lunchboxes? I didn't know that! Come to think of it, a lunch box won't fit inside my messenger bag. If it does, then it will make me look EXTREMELY weird.

~Growll…~

"Now I'm hungry, and I haven't got enough money! On top of that all I have in my wallet are some really weird foreign currencies…" I could feel my head become light, and I had no choice but to starve the whole day…

_This just isn't your day, Devlon Jean…now I just can't wait to go home…_

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I gathered all of my remaining strength just to get home. On the way, I passed by that shop again, and since it was already dismissal, I took all the time to look at what's inside. It made me remember of the games that me and dad used to play before they divorced. "There was this video game which was our most favorite one to play…" I said to myself. "And that racing game…" My eyes diverted to the entrance door, and I didn't miss the chance.

~DING~

The shop has no customers at the moment, and the caretaker is nowhere in sight too. I looked at the video games section and found the game that I was talking about a while ago. I tapped the glass lightly and allowed my index finger to slide down, creating a mark. "Dad…"

"May I help you, miss?"

"Waa!" I shrieked and jolted up. It took me a while to calm down, which gave me a mental note not to drink too much coffee in the succeeding days. Turning around, I saw the one who just asked me…

A purple-eyed boy. Looking at him from head to toe, I estimated that he was about 5"8, which makes him 5 inches taller than me. He had this really cool gold bangs and the spiky purple hairdo. His eyes were wide in shock but they're as not as wide as mine. 

"I'm sorry. Did I shocked you so much?" he asked politely.

"Uh, no…not that much," I muttered and looked down at my feet. "So uh, can I see that game?" I asked, pointing to the cartridge inside the glass cabinet. He nodded and took it out. It was a role-playing game that was popular some decades ago.

"Do you like RPGs like that?" he wondered. 

"Not that much now…" I told him, tracing the edges of the box with my index finger. "It's just because that this game is special to me…"

"Special?" By the tone of his voice, he was more curious than sarcastic. 

"Yep. Too special…" I looked at the cover for a while before returning it to him. "Thank you."

"You're awfully welcome, ma'am. I hope you visit us again," he greeted with a sincere smile. I smiled back, then finally I left the shop.

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            Now, if you ask me, this chap.'s a bit weird…hehe, but oh well. I'll let you readers be the judge! Oops, and if you're wondering about the lunchbox thingy previously, that is really true in Japan. The students eat their lunch inside the classroom, which means that they bring lunchboxes! Well, here are some more and I found them at my mag "K-Zone"! So that means I don't own these infos.…

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**~SCHOOL IN JAPAN~**

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- Japanese kids start going to school in April, after their sixth birthday.

- Kids learn to speak both English and Japanese.

- School kids eat lunch together in the classroom. (This is what I was talking about a while ago) Lunch is made by the school or a "school lunch center", and would be stew or curry, boiled vegetables, a sandwich, and salad as well as milk and a dessert like gelatin, ice cream and fruit. (Mm! I wanna study there! ^__^)

- Everyday, the students clean the rooms, halls, toilets, and yards of their own classroom. (Now, I don't want to study there…lol)

- When kids go to school, they have to take off their shoes and put on rubber-soled shoes so they don't damage the grounds. 

- Lots of kids go to school on Saturday and most go to some kind of after-school activity or class.


	3. By Myself

**Bittersweet **~by: DarkTwilightZero

**Author's notes: **Wee! I just received more reviews! And just like I promised last chapter, here are the responses!!

**YumeTakato – **Thanks for the comment! ^^; Hehe, I had to admit that I forgot those 2 things that you mentioned. The Yugi/Yami thing? I'm gonna mention  that in the succeeding chappies, so that you'll have a clue as to whom Devlon talked to at the store! Oh, and her characteristics? I'm gonna describe her in this chapter! If you're out there and reading this, I hope you read the rest of this chapter! Thanks for reviewing! ^_^

**Angel – **Thanks for reviewing! To tell you the truth that chapter was the LONGEST that I've ever written! Took me 7 pages in Word…Lol. Even my other fanfics' chappies aren't as long as that one! Not to mention that was the FASTEST update that I've ever done…Hehe, but it feels good though! Writing long chappies for a change…it's effective for killing time! I hope you keep on reviewing! ^_^

Well, I guess that's all for my responses and raves! Now, I present to you the second chapter…Enjoy!

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Chapter 2: BY MYSELF… 

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~4:30 P.M.~

Mom had reminded me of the secret key that was hidden under the flower pot before I left the house. And that's where I found it. I listened to the clicking of the doorknob and its squeak when I turned it open. 

~CREAK~

…the house was completely quiet. Just in case that you're wondering…I'm an only child. No wonder that my life gets so boring all the time. I threw my bag on the couch and headed towards the kitchen for something to drink, since I haven't eaten – and drank a thing all day at school. "Whoopee! There's still Cali!" I exclaimed. While drinking the beverage, I fiddled with the answering machine to see if there's any message…. it didn't surprise me when the only person who was sending the messages was my mom. And they all sounded like this…

~_You have 40 unanswered messages. Message one…~_

CLICK. "Sweet, this is your mom. I'm coming home late today because of an executive meeting that I have to attend. There is food in the fridge, you can just reheat it, or you can just call for a pizza delivery. Don't wait for me, ok? Sleep early…and no late night television!" 

~Beeeeeeeeep…~

~_You now have 39 unanswered messages. Message two…~_

CLICK. "Hey Dev, this is your mom again. Have you received my message earlier? Remember to turn off the lights before you go to bed coz I might come home late. No late night television, okay? Love you!"

~Beeeeepppp….~

~_You now have 38 unanswered messages. Message three…~_

"Just like always," I said to the answering machine and turned it off. Looking around the house, I saw the perfect gadget to keep me occupied for the next few hours…and I smirked.

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Mom put back the handset on its proper place, just as her secretary came inside her office. "Ma'am Veronica, the board is waiting for your arrival. They are asking you to please go there immediately."

"Thank you Stacy, I'll be there in a second." She massaged her forehead and glanced at the papers on her desk that contained the agenda for today's meeting. "I hope Devlon got my message. Well, here goes…" and she stood up and followed Stacy out of the office.

Arriving in the meeting room, she was surprised to see the whole executive staff present and were all looking at her. She cleared her throat and proceeded at the front of the long meeting table, getting her stuff ready for the meeting. "Thank you for waiting, ladies and gentlemen. Now, I shall present the objectives of today's meeting, and that is to promote and discuss the new features that Simulae Inc. has to offer for everyone. First in the agenda is…"

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I yawned and looked at the TV that was showing my favorite sitcom, (insert your favorite sitcom here). Glancing at the clock, it said 8:30 pm. Already? I asked myself. I guess it's time to see what the fridge has to offer to me for dinner. Mom never said what was in the fridge of ours, so that means it's up to me to pick what to eat.  When I saw the contents, I had to say that I wasn't the least bit pleased with them. Time to make a pizza delivery!!

Looking at the yellow pages, I found the thing that was looking for. I was about to reach for the cordless phone when it rang, and surprised was I when I found out who the caller is…

"Hello…Dad?!"

"Devlon, honey!" his unchanged voice spoke. "I've been dying to talk to you like this. it's been a long time…how are you, sweetheart?"

I twirled  a strand of my long golden brown hair around my finger. "How did you know our number?"

"Tsk tsk. Have you forgotten that I'm a detective? I have my sources."

Chuckle. "I'm doing just fine, dad. Mom's currently at her executive meeting and she won't be home early."

"So that means you're alone. Are you alright back there?"

I nodded at his questions and answered some of them. Mom once told me the reason why Dad left us and filed a divorce, and that was because he had another family besides us. That hurts a lot at her part, but not as much as mine. Ever since then mom became a father figure, but she hasn't enough time to take care of me. So that means, I lived alone for most of my life. 

"…and I promise that once I found your new address there, I'll visit you. Is that okay, Dev? Dev?"

"Yeah…I miss you dad."

He sighed, and I can imagine his smile at the other line. "I miss you too sweetheart. I gotta go now, but don't tell your mom that I called. If she found out that I discovered your number, she'll take you further away from me. Bye sweetheart." And then the line went dead.

"Un…I love you dad…" I whispered, tears running down my cheeks. 

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"…and that concludes our meeting for today. Thank you for attending." 

All of them clapped at her for doing an excellent job. Some of them went up to her to congratulate her efforts, and she smiled in appreciation. The president of the company came up to her just as she was fixing everything. "Ms. Jean, may I see you in my office for a second?"

She paled slightly. "Certainly, sir."

At the office…

Veronica sat at the chair opposite of the president's chair. "I've been observing your performance ever since you transferred to Domino city, and you've been doing an excellent job. That holds true too, if I'm going to compare with your previous records back at Twilight city."

She wondered. What was he trying to say?

He smiled at her expression. "I'll go straight to the point. As of now, I want to promote you from your current position to General Manager of the Marketing department. I expect a lot from your performance from now on. Make Simulae Inc. proud, Ms. Veronica Jean."

General Manager! Veronica can't be more happier when she heard that. "Thank you, Mr. President! I won't let you down!"

"I know you won't, Ms. Jean." And with that, they ended the whole conversation with a handshake. She immediately left the office, only to be surprised by all of her officemates clapping for her outside. 

"What the-?"

"Congratulations, Ms. Jean!" all of them greeted. Now she was confused than surprised! "What's going on?"

"We already knew that you're going to be promoted!" one of them exclaimed.

"You've been a good manager to all of us!"

"Way to go, Ms. Jean!"

As various cheers and applauses were showered upon her, she couldn't hide the tears that she tried to fight back in the office. She looked behind her to see the president lay a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you, sir."

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"Yawn…" 

I glanced back at the wall clock, and it read 11:55 pm. Now that's strange…mom usually comes home at 10 in the evening. "Overtime…but she'll come home soon…"

Sleep was the first thing that came into my mind, but it was debating whether I should lock the door or leave it open, hoping that she'll come home minutes later. "Ah heck," I mumbled, clutching my pillow and slouched lazily on the couch. "Please send me a sign…"

~RING! RING!~ 

The phone rang a few times, before it played our recorded message. "Hello, this is Veronica speaking…"

"And this is her daughter, Devlon!"

Giggle. "We're not able to answer your call now, so please leave a message and we'll try to call you back as soon as possible. Please speak right after the beep…"

~BEEEEEEEP~

"Hello sweet, this is your mom. I'm sorry but I won't be able to come home tonight, so it's up to you to fix yourself tomorrow. There's meat in the fridge, you can cook that for your breakfast tomorrow. I'm sorry Devlon. Don't forget to lock the doors before you go to sleep. Love you honey…"

"I see…" I mumbled, my crystal blue eyes fighting the attempt to shout at the phone in annoyance. This is the first time that mom wasn't able to come home. _What else is new? It's not like things are going to change…it's the same everyday…_

I turned my attention back to the TV, tears running down my cheeks. My grip on the pillow tightened, until I just hugged it like I used to hug my stuff dolls when I was still little. Those times were just like now…especially the first night when I had to sleep without her by my side. Reminiscing all those sad moments just breaks my barrier; and when I can't take it anymore, I buried my face in the thing that I was hugging.

"Mom…" I croaked and cried softly, and just outside, the night winds accompanying my sorrow like a sad melody.

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Luckily that I managed to get up early the next day! And because of that, there's no need for me to hurry to school. since it's only 6:45 am, I passed by the same game shop,  bearing in mind that I should buy that RPG game before someone else had their hands on it. 

Going inside, I saw the same young man who was in charge the other day. He was just packing his stuff on top of the counter when he saw me. "Good morning! Oh, it's you again!" he greeted.

His attire caught my attention: a black t-shirt with the sleeves cut off underneath, a blue jacket, blue pants and a really cool pair of shoes. (A/N: In short, Yami's outfit in the Battle City saga. I'll let you readers fill up the missing details since that part of the series hasn't been aired in our place…Lol…^^;) It's similar to the Domino HS school uniform for boys, the only difference is that it looks a bit – hippy. Not to mention the belts that criss-crossed his waist, and the really cool wristbands that decorated his arms. Coolness, I thought. I've been dying to have those!

"How may I help you?" he asked. 

"Uh, do you still have that game that I asked you about yesterday?" I told him. He nodded and took it out from the shelf that was on the left side of the room. 

"Yes ma'am, we still have it. Why did you ask?"

"I – I'll buy it," I told him. After he mentioned the price, I fished out the right amount from my chain wallet and handed it to him. "Thank you for buying, ma'am!"

"Oh, you're still here, Yami?" an old man asked. It was the same old man whom I asked directions from yesterday, too! This is so cool! I thought. 

"Yes grandpa. I had to attend to this customer first," the boy known as Yami, pointed to me. Cool name, I thought. Then it dawned upon me…the meaning of his name…

"Dark…" 

"Excuse me?" Yami wondered when he heard me mumble. "Anything the matter, miss?"

I blushed because of my stupidity. "Nothing, I was just thinking out loud. Hehe…"

Grandpa came out to take a closer look at me. "You're that same girl from before. It's nice to see you again!" His eyes fell upon the cartridge that I was holding. "You're a gamer too?" I nodded.

"You know her, grandpa?"

"I met this young lady yesterday, Yami. She's a new student at Domino High. May I know your name, miss?"

The two anticipated for my answer. I had to clear my throat to make sure that I won't croak due to nervousness. Damn caffeine… "Uh…it's Jean. Devlon Jean, sir."

"Oh please, just call me Grandpa. This is my nephew Yami, he's studying at Domino High too. I know, why don't you go to school together?" He motioned to his nephew. "Is that okay, Yami?"

He smiled. "Yes, grandpa."

He nodded, then glanced at the door behind him that leads inside the house. "Now where's Yugi? I bet that kid slept late again."

Yami chuckled. "He was sorting out his cards so seriously that he slept past 12." He shrugged. "I told him to sleep early, but he wouldn't listen." Just as he finished speaking, a young boy tumbled down the stairs. What amused me is that he looks exactly like Yami, only much younger. And much shorter.

"There you are Yugi! Thank goodness you still managed to come down here! One minute more and you and your cousin are going to be late again!"

"I'm sorry, Grandpa!" He then noticed me standing just a few feet away. "Wait a minute…you're the new student at 1-B, right?"

"Why yes. How did you know?"

"You're the talk of our classroom yesterday! Everyone knew the transferee who just went late on her first day, not to mention stirring up a big fuss in the process!" Yugi grinned almost innocently, and I paled a bit. I just built a reputation at Domino High! 

…a reputation from being late in class at my first day. Not exactly the type which I can be proud of.

"And another one, you're the only student that wasn't wearing the prescribed uniform! That's why everybody recognized you!"

"Uh…really?" I croaked.

"Yep!"

Yami had to stop his cousin from blabbering too much, and ruffled his already spiky purple-black hair. "Enough of that now, Yugi, you're making our guest embarrassed!" he then looked at me, and I froze right on the spot. "Well, shall we get going now, Ms. Jean?"

"Uh, please call me Devlon. No formalities, okay?"

"Okay…Devlon."

"She's going to come with us?" Yugi asked him. "Oh wow!"

"Right…" I thought and already went outside. "See you soon, Grandpa!"

"Take care, you three!" he bid us just before we left the shop. "Well, time to clean the store again!" Humming a melody, he went to the closet to get the things he needed…

**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**

If you ask me, it's nice to have someone with you for a change. I've been walking alone to school all my life, and frankly speaking this is the first time that I went there with someone. As I got to know the two better, I found out that Yami's in his last year of highschool, while his cousin Yugi is in his freshman years. I giggled every now and then because of the silly things Yugi pull off in an attempt to make him look better than his cousin and everytime he did, Yami would threaten him with things that I don't bother to listen to. 

One things for sure, I said to myself as the school bell rang. _I've found two really good friends…_

**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**

There! Chapter 2 done! Now that was fast, isn't it? Okay, just like I promised a while ago, I'm gonna describe Devlon and give out her characteristics. I might post her pix too at my site, but sad to say, I had to fix it before I can do any postings. Ugh…enough ramble! Here you go!!

**~DEVLON JEAN~**

**Age: **16

**Birthday: **February 14, 1985 (According to the YGH game that I have in my PC, the anime takes place in the year 2001…so basically, I based her year of birth on that.)

**Height: **5"3 (she's as tall as me…short isn't it?)

**Weight**: 45 kgs.

**Hair: **Wavy long, golden brown (Just like Belldandy's from Ah! My Goddess!) that she always keeps in a high ponytail.  

**Eyes**: Crystal blue

**More About Her: **Devlon's life is a very dramatic one; her parents divorced when she was just six years old. Ever since then, she grew up without her dad Simon, by her side. Her mom Veronica's the manager of Simulae Inc., a very powerful industrial corporation. Because of her position, she rarely comes home, causing the poor girl to live alone most of her life. Soon, they transferred to Domino City because of her mom's job. Setting that aside, Devlon's a very reserved, strong-headed girl who finds herself stuck in the middle of huge dilemmas (the dilemmas will be revealed in later chapters…lol, I won't spoil the story so easily!). When it comes to style of clothing, she prefers boyish attires over dresses and skirts. That's why she doesn't wear the prescribed uniform of DHS. Most of them include cargo pants and long-sleeved t-shirts (mostly turtlenecks), and hip hooded jackets. Her most favorite gadget is the CD Walkman that her mom gave her on her 15th birthday.

Whew! That's a lot already! So, what do you think of this chappy? Don't forget to review! No flames please! Thousand domos, minnasan!!!! ^__^

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	4. A Taste of The Night Life

**Bittersweet ~ **by: D' Mistrez02

**D-kun's random ramblings: **Eiya, minnasan guess what? I just got two new reviewers! So, in this section I'm gonna give my responses! Lol…hehe, I'm sugar-high today…okay, enough stalling! Here you go!

**Ame_Mahou – **Thanks for saying that my story's kewl! I'm glad you guys like it! Thanks for reviewing! ^_^

**fishkisser – **Kewl penname there! Thanks for reviewing, fishkisser-san!

**YumeTakato – **Lol, I'm glad you liked that chappy! I sure hope that I didn't made Yami/Yugi a little OOC…I just think that if Yugi ain't that innocent-looking he'd make a cool protagonist! Thanks for reviewing!

**Angel – **Aww…really you'd do that for me? *sniffs* I'm so touched…I promise I'll try to make every chapter interesting! *glomps Angel-sama* Arigato! ^______^

**Meiharu – **Wee! A new reviewer! Thanks for reviewing my little chappy, Meiharu-chan! (eyes past chappies, then sweatdrops) ^^; Even though I think "little" is an understatement if you're going to describe each of them…don't you think so? Lol, arigato Meiharu-chan!

Oh yeah! Since you like my story so much, I'm giving you a little spoiler! That is, I'm saving a little treat for all of you Yami Bakura fans..(grinz) He'll have a very cool role in this fic! Trust me, even when I planned it I can't help but grin! He'll be so cool that you'll drool over him! Lol! Don't worry, Seto will make his appearance here soon! That is, after me and my sister finish debating as to what his role should be…so, any suggestions? ^_^ Here's the next chappy, enjoy!!!

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**CHAPTER 3: A Taste of the Night Life**

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The house was completely silent by the time I arrived. It surprised me a bit when I found out that the door wasn't locked; that means Mom's already home. But when I looked around, I saw no sign of her presence. Bored, I threw my messenger bag on the couch and helped myself at the kitchen for a nice afternoon snack. 

While eating, everything that took place before came back in my mind…

_~FLASHBACK~_

_The 3 of us were walking towards the school, and there I was listening to the friendly fight between Yami and his cousin Yugi. Yugi said something about Yami being "hot in school", in which the latter responded by giving him a not-so-serious bonk at the back of the head. I laughed at the brothers' crazy antics. _

_"But really, is Yami really that popular in school?" I asked Yugi after he recovered from Yami's blow._

_"Popular is an understatement, Ms. Devlon!" he exclaimed. "Yami's the heartthrob of Domino High School, ranking just the same as my other senior, Bakura Ryou!" He walked past us and stopped in front, blocking our way so that we will listen to him. "Yami's the captain of the soccer team, and is a very admirable model student!"_

_Yami was blushing at this, and he was lightly scratching his right cheek with his index finger. "Yugi…"_

_"Oh come on, big brother! You don't have to be shy about it! Look, you're already making Devlon impressed!" Yami looked at me, and I laughed a bit. "Don't you want to have another girl who admires you like you're her everything?"_

_"Excuse me, but I beg to differ." I snapped and walked past the two. _

_"Ooh, a man-hater, aren't we?" he teased._

_I stopped in my tracks. "Not exactly a man-hater, but…" Now this was the first time that I ever paused while talking to someone. A certain memory flashed back in my mind, the one which I tried to forget for so long… "It's just that I have no time for stupid things like that. I have a lot of problems in my shoulders already."_

_Yami placed a hand on my shoulder, making me look at him. "Please excuse my cousin, Ms. Jean. Yugi, that's enough already!"_

_"No, it's okay. It's just…never mind." I said and smiled at the pair. "Well, are we going to school or not? If we don't hurry, we'll be late for class!"_

_"Yeah! And you'll be popular again in Domino High, Dev!"_

_"Oh shut up, Yugi!"_

"Just like a younger sibling," I said to myself when I remembered that last statement that he told me. "I wish I could have one again, but…" playing with the glass of milk on the table, I remembered the last thing that Dad told me last night, and it made me think that having a younger sibling is impossible already. 

Maybe we could adopt another child so that I could have someone to play with…

…but if we do, he'll suffer the same depression and loneliness that I'm suffering right now.

~CRASH!~

That came from my bedroom! Frantic, I left the kitchen and ran upstairs…

I was in utter shock when I saw my room in such a mess. In the middle of it all, Mom was sitting on the carpeted floor, holding a box with one hand and soothing her face with the other. "Ow…that curtain hit me real hard…ow…"

"Mom! Are you alright?" I panicked.

"I'm okay Dev. Sigh, there goes my surprise…" She stood up and brushed herself.

…surprise? What is she talking about? She shoved the box to my face and I took a second to analyze the outside. It was colored silver, with the logo of Simulae Inc. on it. Wait, the box is heavy! I thought as I lifted it up. "What is this mom?"

"You won't know until you open it up, silly."

I smiled slightly and opened the flap of the box. When I saw the contents, my eyes bulged wide like that of an innocent child who's been given a candy by her mom. "This is - ?!"

"…A cellphone. That's the latest S.I model, which I designed myself. You're the first one who ever received a model like that." She winked at me; now this was strange. I have a feeling that she's not saying what she wants to say.

"Okay, mom…" I said in a low voice, raising an eyebrow. "Spill the beans out. What is it?"

"Oh Dev!"I was surprised when she hugged me tight, making me take a few steps back due to the fact that she's heavy! "I've been promoted! I'm the Simulae Inc. Marketing Dept.'s General Manager!"

"P-promoted?" I croaked. My hands fell to my sides and the box fell on the soft carpeted floor. I looked down on my feet, my mouth quivering. Mom never saw my face for it was hidden behind my long golden brown hair. 

"Devlon? Honey, aren't you happy?"

I shook my head. "No, it's nothing mom." I tried to fight back the tears that were threatening to show again. I have to show mom that I'm strong…I don't want to spoil her happiness… "I'm happy for you mom. Congratulations on the promotion."

But it seems that the statement "Mothers know best" is true, for she seemed to detect what is the real problem. "Oh honey…" She leaned down so our eyes are level with each other. "Me getting promoted does not mean that I won't have time with you anymore. That's why I've given you a cellphone so that we can talk to each other anytime. We'll always keep in touch…remember that okay?"

I nodded, but I never gave a definite answer. It's been a long time ever sice we had a bonding such as this…and moms sure know how to fill in the missing details in mother-daughter bondings…everything ended in a hug…

…and it would have lasted for a long time if it weren't for the phone ringing. She looked over my shoulder and went outside for a second. "Just a minute Dev…hello?"

I sat on the soft mattress of the bed, examining the gadget that was in my hands. Mom was right about the unit…it really is the latest. There's even a compact camera attached to its base so that I can take pictures, not to mention an internal modem so that I can surf the Internet. It's foldable, and in between its hinge is a compact lens used for recording videos. 

I had to stifle a gasp. This phone's almost equal to a laptop! But what amazed me is that the screen's colored…I smiled.

"Devlon honey? I had to go away for a while…the executive board wants me back at the building. I might not be back early, so don't wait for me, okay?" Mom looked regretful when she said that. She was already in her business suit and was fixing her hair when she told me that. Before leaving, she gave me one last kiss on the cheek, then exited the house. I locked the door right after she left, looked at the unit in my right hand and tossed it on the sofa. _"Stupid mother…damn everything…"_

I looked at the time, and it read 4:45 p.m. Taking my chain wallet from my dresser, I exited the house to take a walk around the city. _I guess I'll drop by the game shop for a while…_I told myself.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Yugi was the person-in-charge when I arrived. "Good afternoon, ma'am…oh it's you again!"

I went up to him and leaned on the counter. "Yeah, what if it's me? Got a problem with that?" I tsked and waved a hand lazily. "You won't get enough customers with an attitude like that, mister."

"Really now? As if you knew anything about managing a store, missy," he spat and crossed his arms. "So what brings you here?"

"Nothing important really, I just thought I'd drop by here for a little visit."

Yugi eyed me suspiciously. "We're not sick for you to visit us."

~BONK~

"Idiot." I said calmly, eyebrow twitching. "Oh yeah, where's your cousin?" I asked, looking around the place.

"You mean Yami? He said that he'd pick up something at school. My guess is that it's his homework. See, he was absent for quite a long time."

Now this got my attention. "How come?"

He was wiping the glass cabinets while chatting. "See, besides working here as the storekeeper, he's also a member of a pretty famous band here in Domino City. Yami's one of the guitarists of the band "Shadow Realm". You've heard of that band back at Twilight City, Dev?"

I shook my head. "I'm afraid not. Wait, how does that relate to his absence?"

"He became sick for quite a while because of fatigue, that's why he was forced by grandpa to rest until he gets well. And believe me, those times were the hardest times of our lives. Especially mine…" he added.

"Cause…?"

"Come on!" he exclaimed, making me jump a bit. "You think being the cousin of the most popular guy at school is easy? While he's absent I had to drag sacks of letters back home from his fangirls!"

I sweatdropped. "Calm down, man. I was just asking."

But he continued blabbering, running a hand through his messy hair. "Not only that, we have to keep this shop in order everyday because of his admirers bustling into the store! That's why when he got well, I gave him a beating that he'll never forget, and I said, 'That's what you get for being so handsome!' And he told me, 'It's not my fault if I'm so irresistable!'"

I laughed out loud at this statement. "It seems that you – you suffered a lot during those times," I remarked while trying to catch my breath.

Yugi calmed down a bit and composed himself. "Man, those times really sucked big time. Luckily my mom never created me as a handsome boy." After that, he turned his attention back to me, making me feel uneasy due to the surprising silence that engulfed the room.

"Wait a minute…if Yami got sick because of that, then that means that he's rehearsing for a really swell performance soon…"

"Yep. Their band's going to perform tonight."

I was bit skeptical. "Tonight? Are you sure?"

He narrowed his eyes a bit, and pointed to himself. "Do I look like a liar?"

I shook my head furiously. "N-No! it's just that…It's been a long time ever since I had a taste of the night life. Right now, I'm just your ordinary stay-at-home girl." I shrugged.

"Seriously?" he sounded more surprised than sarcastic. "Then you've gotta have a sample of their music! I know, are you free tonight?"

Thinking about mom and her looong absence from home for a while, I nodded.

"Good! Then we could see their performance! What do you say?" Yugi winked, which I found cute. "I promise that I'll take care of the entrance!" He fished out two tickets from the pocket of his blue jacket and showed one to me. "Starlight Retro?" I read. "How did you get this?"

Yugi looked around to see if there's nobody listening, then asked me to lean closer and whispered, "I got that from the manager of the club. I told him I was Yami's cousin so he gave me a discount."

I was amazed by this kid's abilities. "Yugi…you rock!"

The boy just winked and gave me a thumbs-up sign. "Hehe, so what do you say? 7:30 p.m?"

"Count me in!" After bidding goodbye, I went out to check up on the house, making sure that everything's fine before I leave for the night.

"Now, let's see…what shall I wear?" I pondered upon my clothes at my closet, looking for the perfect thing to wear for such an occasion. There was my black cargo pants with matching red stripes at the sides, my sleeveless zip-up blouse, and the long black armband that I bought the day before we left Twilight. All of them are still smelling new due to the fact that I haven't worn them ever since I bought them. "I've already decided…" I said with determination and fished them out of their sanctuary. 

And for an added touch, I put on my favorite "bling bling": a silver necklace with my first letter "D" hanging on it; and 3 small hoop earrings which I all attached on my left earlobe. "Now I'm ready!" I took my favorite black newsboy cap and went out. 

Yugi and I met at the gates of the school, the place which we agreed upon just a few moments ago. He was wearing a black T-shirt underneath a really hip denim jacket, a really sexy pair of black leather pants and black shoes. "Oi, Devlon! Whoa you look hip! Ready to party?"

I whistled. "Wow, looking good Yugi! Are you trying to hook up some chicks by the time we get there?"

He blushed. "Kinda. I'm gonna try to score some points with Tea."

"Who's Tea?" I asked, while he called for a taxi to take us there. Getting in, Yugi continued on with his story. 

"Tea Gardener, my classmate at school. She goes to Starlight almost every night. She's a fan of my cousin, and is one of those girls who sent him letters when he was sick." He looked out the window and watched the colorful streetsides of Domino fly by. I could see his reflection on the cold glass and took a glance of his eyes which were now glassy-eyed. 

"It hurts, right?" I solemnly asked.

"Not much. I understand clearly why she won't like me anyway. Yami's cooler. I'm…not like him. I'm too short to attract any girl's attention."

I fought the urge to say "You're damn right!", or else he'll think I'm so insensitive. I placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled:

"Nah, you're fine just the way you are. Why don't you show Tea tonight who you really are inside?"

He looked at me. "You think she'll like me back if I did that?"

"I'm sure she will. Let's just try to have fun tonight, shall we?"

He choked and nodded. "Yeah. Thanks, Dev."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The place was bustling with activity and music when we stepped inside the club. Neon lights illuminated the place dimly, and in the middle of the room, high above the ceiling was the disco ball, shimmering onto the hundreds of teenagers who were dancing to the beat beneath it. 

Yugi spotted Tea dancing amongst the crowd, and as far as I can see he can't take his eyes off her. She looked sexy in that sleeveless & strapless yellow top, with a matching blue jean miniskirt and dark brown platform boots. Looking at the stage, I saw Yami and the others setting up their equipment, and decided to tell his cousin about it. "Yugi look, there's the Shadow…what's that again?"

Good thing that I did this to snap him out of it. "Huh? Oh, that's Shadow Realm. Come on, lets go search for some really good seats."

We found a really good one a few meters away from the bustling crowd. "Stay here for a while," he told me, then disappeared into the river of people sweeping before me. 

A guy approached me while I was waiting on the table. Instantly, he sat beside me and rested his elbow on the table, trying to score some points with me. "Hey babe, wanna hang out with me for a while?"

I shot him a death glare. "I'm sorry, but I'm with someone." I answered darkly.

I couldn't see his eyes beneath those really dark glasses, the only thing that I can see at his face is that American bandanna on his head. "Really now?" He held my chin with his right hand and pulled it towards him. "And who might that person be?"

"Let go of her, Keith. She's my guest for tonight."

We both looked to the direction of the voice. "Yami, my man! Is this pretty chick your new girlfriend?" He looked at me and grinned like a wolf. "I envy you sometimes. How do you get the ladies to fall for you big time?" 

"It's just a matter of appeal, K-man," he replied, swishing his bangs to one side with style. "Now would you mind? The drums are already calling you."

Keith humphed and left us, but not before taking his shades off and winking at me. I could hear Yugi chuckle with amusement, and I gave him my cold glare.

"Thanks for helping me out Yami," I thanked him as he sat with us. 

"No problem. Oh, and sorry about our band's drummer Keith. He can be a pain in the ass sometimes." Yami leaned against the leather uphostery of the seats and crossed his arms, red and orange lights playing behind him. "I'm glad that you can come along."

I slightly jerked my head towards Yugi's direction. "Thank Yugi, not me. And besides, I've got nothing better to do back home."

Yugi grinned and nudged his cousin. "Looks like you're going to be some hot property again, Yami. Lead guitarists are always like that, right Dev?"

"Yugi…" he threatened. The boy backed out slightly to avoid Yami's deadly punch.

A loud squeal was heard from the dance floor when a tall white-haired man stepped onto the stage. He was wearing a black shirt with the words, "H.O.T." in red letters. The sleeves were ripped off, and his tight black jeans have the parts covering his knees stripped off. What gave him more appeal is the gold necklace hanging on his neck, with 5 chime-looking thingies dangling from it.  

"That's Bakura," Yami introduced, ignoring his cousin's apologies. "He's one of our guitarists too, and our main vocalist." The guy known as Bakura called him, signalling that it's about time for them to play. He stood up from his seat and went towards the stage. "It's almost time. See ya around, guyz!" 

"Good luck, Yami!" Yugi cheered and sat back down. I listened to the squealing of the girls on the dance floor when Keith started to hit the drums. My gaze was fixed on Yami as he started to play his instrument. Beside him was Bakura holding the mic, eyes closed.

From behind me, I could hear girls chatter excitedly, "Look, it's Bakura! He's gonna sing now! I can't wait!"

"He looks sooooo handsome!"

"Ei, does he have a girlfriend right now?"

"I've heard that he has none at the moment, that gives us a chance! Did you know that Bakura-san's going to Domino High, too? I'm gonna ask for his autograph!"

It seems that Domino's the school for such talented peeps, I told myself. I winced slightly from the ladies' drink that I was sipping at the moment, and decided to divert my attention to the stage where the Shadow Realm's performing. Yami was playing side by side with Bakura, the latter singing his heart out to their fans below. They looked so cool with those lights playing on them, and the way they move to their music…it just…

_...When was the last time that I became attracted to band performers?_

Yugi must've noticed that I spaced out for a while, so he tapped my shoulder to send me back to Earth. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked. 

"Yeah…"

He smiled. "Told'ya they're good." I smirked at that comment. "It's pretty obvious, Yugi. Just look at the way their fans are reacting to them." I went beside him a bit and whispered, "Tea's on the dance floor; how about scoring those points now, Yugi?"

Even with the dimly-lit atmosphere of the place, I could still see his blush. "Devlon!"

"Come on! I bet she's alone in this place anyway. She needs someone to dance with. Well?" 

"Well…" he nervously poked his index fingers together, which made me a little irritated. When I dragged him down to the dance floor, I swore that I was drunk already and had no clue as to what I was doing. 

Target in sight. With the last of my remaining consciousness, I pushed him towards Tea, and fell down – asleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Hey! Watch it Dev!" Yugi used all his efforts to steady himself, but with the help of fate (someone bumped him from behind) he finally came face to face with Tea. But the first impression that he made wasn't so nice – both he and Tea fell down on the dance floor with his face buried deep in her chest (A/N: No funny business!! *whacks people with a plastic baseball bat*)…

"Kyaa! What the -?!" 

Yugi immediately began to bolt away from her, blushing bright red. "I'm – I'm so sorry, Tea!! It wasn't my fault! See, my friend pushed me towards you, and…uh…" with that, he ran out of words. He decided to look down at his shoes, expecting that her next move would be a slap on his face. 

But instead, all she said was… "Yugi?"

The boy kept his eyes shut, imagining that ~PAK~ sound across his cheek. Oh boy. Talk about total humiliation! He waited for a while…and then another…but no ~PAK~ sound came.

Saying to himself that it must be safe to look, he opened his eyes. When he looked in front of him, she was already gone… 

Yugi looked around the place while mentally cursing himself; Tea will never forgive him for sure. A light snore came from behind him, and when he looked he saw Devlon still sleeping on the floor. He knelt down beside her with one knee and looked at her sleeping face. "Thanks a lot Devlon; now Tea will never talk to me again…" he told her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Meanwhile… 

"Mom…" I muttered in my sleep. "Not that jeans again…zzz…"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I'm sorry if it took me a while to post this! So far, this is my favorite chappy! What do you guys think? Please review for poor li'l me! Ja ne! ^_^


	5. A Perfect Picture

**Bittersweet **~by dark_oBsessiOn

Hey, minnasan! It's nice to see you again! ^__^ I apologize if I took too much time to update.but anyways, I'm back and I'm here with the long-awaited next chapter of Bittersweet! But before anything else, I'd like to give my responses to the following reviewers.

YumeTakato - Thanks for the comment! Yugi sure ain't lucky back there, wasn't it? (evil snicker) Oh well.don't worry, I'll keep his mishaps ongoing! Muwahahaha!!! (Yugi: *groans*) Thanks for reviewing! 

**Meiharu - **My deepest apologies for not updating so soon.bad case of writer's block. (sticks out her tongue at herself). It seems that writing two fanfics at the same time wasn't such a good idea.hehe. if y'all check my profile, you'll see that I'm also writing a Beyblade fanfiction. (bows down) I'm terribly sorry! Aniweiz, I'm glad you liked that one! ^__^ Nice comments like that always make my day.hehe. ^_________^ I've been smiling way too much! Thanks for reviewing, Meiharu-sama!

**Angel - **I won't keep you waiting for long! Here's the next chapter, I hope y'all enjoy it! Thanks for reviewin'!

**Scarlet Letter Pearl - **Waii! A new reviewer again! ^___________________^ Thanks for reviewing, Scarlet-sama! Hope you enjoy this one!

Well, that wraps up my responses! I hope you guys like this one! Standard disclaimers apply, and that is I don't own Yugioh! If I did, I'd have Yami Bakura tied up in my room forever! (evil laughter) See how scary it is if I do own it? (winks) Enjoy!

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**Chapter 4: A Perfect Picture**

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"Ow..my head.." That was the only statement that I rambled on and on as Yugi, Yami and I were walking to school the next day. "That alcohol must've got me big time."

"No wonder.you drank the whole bottle back there, Dev." Yugi snickered.

"Yeah, and that leaves us two to carry you home," Yami was looking at his reflection at the window of a shop (no, not their shop) while talking. I stopped to a halt upon hearing that. 

"YOU CARRIED ME HOME?!?!" I shrieked, scaring the hell out of the two boys. _What if my mom was already home?!?! Shit everything!_

"As if we have the heart to leave you snoozing on the dance floor for the rest of the night. You should've seen Keith's face while you were down there," Yugi filled in the rest of the details. "He was looking at you like you were some really scrumptious meal on a buffet table. He can't take his eyes off you!"

"Yeah, and he's literally drooling over you! Who knows what he had done if we never carried you home!" His cousin cut in.

I smiled sheepishly. "Hehe.really? Oh." All of a sudden, I fixed my attention to the strand of hair that was resting on my shoulders. I mentally slapped myself for giving the two look-a-likes such trouble. Then, I found myself saying.

"I'm sorry."

The boys stopped walking. "Huh?"

"I must've caused you a lot of inconvenience. I'm really sorry."

Yami was the first one to respond. "No, it's nothing," and shook his head. "We just did what any other good friend of yours would do. You sure enjoyed yourself last night, that you exhausted yourself."

"I guess so.hehe." I never thought that Domino's most popular guy would be so.sweet. Maybe that's the reason why many girls are so enamored of him. He's a total gentleman.

"Well, are you two just going to stand there?" Yugi, who was ahead of us now, pouted and placed his hands on his hips. I find these cute. "We're going to be late!"

Both of us nodded and pretty soon, all of us raced towards the gates like we usually do.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Yami went ahead of us, leaving me and Yugi in the shoe-changing room. "So, how did it go?" I asked the little boy.

"Hm?"

"Don't play dumb, Yugi Mutou. What happened with you and Tea?"

He blushed a bit. "Tea?" He slipped his shoes into his locker and put on the white rubber ones. (A/N: If this got u confused, kindly refer to the first chapter. ^_^) "Well, uh.it went just.fine."

Of course, since I was asleep when those even took place, I absolutely was clueless. I held Yugi's shoulders, excited to hear the details. "Really? What did you said to her? Have you finally told her how you feel about her? Well?"

"Whoa! One at a time!" Yugi took a step back. "First, I - " He stopped talking when he saw the person that we were taking about, standing behind him and looking at us. "T-Tea! Y-yikes!!" 

~CRASH~

Now, she was looking down on him, who was completely dazed. "Good morning Tea. Um."

I narrowed my eyes. Pa. The. Tic. It was then that the girl fixed her attention to me that I snapped out of my current state. "Uh.hi," I greeted.

Luckily, she was clueless as to what we're talking about earlier. "Morning, Yugi!" she chirped. This made him wonder, wasn't she supposed to be mad about yesterday? The boy just looked at her, confused. Deep in my mind, I figured that this will be the best chance for him to talk with her heart to heart. "Uh, I should get going now." I waved to them and dashed out of the room. The couple just looked at the dust cloud that I left as a souvenir - or more like the indication that I was once there.

"She's.weird," Yugi just mumbled. That was when he realized that Dev did that on purpose..

.for they were totally alone in the room now.

"Stupid girl!" Yugi was now getting nervous. What's he going to say? Well, better go for broke, it's now or never. "Uhm.Tea?"

She was fixing her shoes when he called her. Looking up from her half-kneeling position, she said, "What is it?"

Yugi fidgeted with his fingers, and tried his best not to stutter. Unfortunately, that means looking at the ground so that he'd say things steadily. "I - regarding last night.you know, back at the club.I'm.I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to crash into you.like that." His face was now crimson, remembering how he "crashed" into her. 

Tea thought for a while. "Oh._that!" _She placed her hands on her hips, and he knew what's next.a long lecture. "You sure surprised me back there.but I know that you never meant it. It's okay." She smiled her sweetest, meaning that she meant what she said. Yugi looked up, and felt his heart skip a beat; that was the same smile that he fell in love with. 

"You mean it?"

She nodded. "Yes, I do. Now let's get to class before our sensei makes us stand in the hall." Tea cringed a bit. "I hate it when that happens. I don't want to hold a bucket out there ever again!"

He laughed cutely and nodded. "Yeah, I know what you mean." 

It just felt so good, like a large thorn was removed from his chest. Tea had accepted his apology. and what's more is that she wasn't mad at him at all. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Great, just great." I muttered as I was standing outside the classroom with a bucket of water in both hands. The moment I arrived at the classroom, the teacher was already there, and accused me of being late.again. Before I could explain myself, he already ordered me to stand in the hall. _Next time, try to come a bit earlier, Ms. Jean! _That's what she said to me.

Damn old hag. I bet she's already in her menopausal period. That, or the possibility that she woke up on the wrong side of the bed. That always happens to me.

No wait, screw the two options. Maybe it wasn't just my day, that's why._aw, shit._

"Devlon? What are you doing there?" 

I turned to my left and saw Yugi and Tea looking at me; the latter looking rather nervous. "Well duh, I'm standing here in this godforsaken, pathetic excuse for a school hall holding a bucket in my hands and making a total fool out of myself!" I literally spat. He took a few steps back, after realizing that I was really in a rage. Boy, will that old hag just wait! After I graduated from this school I'll literally hire an assassin to hunt her down and shoot holes through her!

Tea tapped his shoulder. "Uh Yugi.you think we shouldn't go inside now? I bet the teacher's in there too. And like I said earlier, I don't want to stand in the hall!"

He shrugged his shoulders. "We wouldn't know until we see for ourselves," he casually replied. It always amazes me that he could talk so maturely despite his age. Not that I'm taunting him or whatever; but if you'll just take a look at him you'd mistake him for an elementary student!

"I agree," I joined in. "You should go check it out for yourselves. If you're lucky the teacher might be a little bit nicer to ya than mine." After I told them who was our first teacher, the two paled a bit. It seems that they know her much better than me. They took in deep breaths before pushing the sliding door open, very slowly.

Sweet silence.

5 minutes later.

"I told you that we shouldn't go inside," Tea scolded Yugi for the 30th time. They were now in the hallway, holding two buckets each. "I told you so, Yugi! Mou!" By the tone of her voice, it sounded like she was about to burst any second. The shorter boy, however, just looked at the ground blushing fiercely, and he was saying: "I'm sorry, Tea!" over and over again. 

I observed them at the corner of my eye as they continued to fight. Man, they look like a bickering couple...

Little did I know that I said that part a bit loud.cause it was when they both hushed and stared at me. "What?" (O.o) "Oops."

The rest of the time was spent with them not saying a word to each other. Unfortunately, I didn't saw the rest of the events for our stupid teacher's time was only 1 hour long. Yugi's still has another 30 minutes to go. 

And the school bell chimed several hours later.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"But they do look like a bickering couple," I said to myself that lunch, as I stared at my ham-and cheese sandwich. Separating the two loaves of bread apart, I studied the fillings and snorted in disgust. Their canteen sure can make the ickiest stuff, and still had the nerve calling it as 'something to eat'?! "Geez, what a waste of money." 

All of a sudden, another sandwich was showed at me, and slowly, I looked up to see who gave it to me. 

"You want mine, then?"

I was completely blown away. "It's.you."

The guy known as Bakura Ryou. Yep, the one and only. Yugi's other senior and Yami's sort-of competition when it comes to popularity. (A/N: This guy's Yami Bakura, so you won't get confused. I gave him and his hikari two separate bodies, so that we can tackle into their own personal lives without one controlling the other! ^__^ Isn't that totally kewl?)

"Don't worry, it's not from the canteen. This is a homemade one." He shoved it closer to my face, urging me to take it. 

"Why.thank you." I took the food from his hands and just when I was about to eat it, I remembered. "How about you?"

He "tch"ed, in a cute kind of way, something that you'll only find in tough looking guys. "I'm not really hungry and besides, my auntie forced me to bring that thing to school." Bakura walked towards the sakura tree that I was seeking shade under and rested his back on it, arms crossed. His eyebrows were almost near each other, and he looked totally mysterious. 

Seeing that he was comfortable that way, I never asked him to sit down beside me. Besides, he looked much cooler in that pose. No wonder the girls love him. And speaking of girls.

"Eek! Look Izumi, it's Bakura of the Shadow Realm! He's here! I think I'm gonna faint!"

I glared at them, my head bowed low. So what if he's here? 

"I'm gonna ask for his autograph!"

"Hey, hey! Do I look alright?" The one who said that suddenly took a comb out of nowhere and started fixing herself.

Before the girls could make any move, he stepped away from the tree and glanced at me. "I shall be going now. Enjoy the sandwich, miss." His coat's sleeve brushed past my left cheek, bringing to my senses the scent that came along with it. Nothing special, yet I found it intoxicating.

"Thanks, Bakura." I turned my head in his direction, the cold breeze blowing against my golden brown locks. My eyes widened at the sight that I saw.

.what I witnessed next was absolutely breathtaking.

His blue coat hoisted over his shoulders, his one hand in his pocket, and his long silky white hair tossed gracefully in the wind. They blended so well with the petals of sakura that were raining gently at the background, along with the sweet scent of the day that would simply catch your breath in your throat.

"Beautiful." I found myself saying softly. The cries of agony of his fans never attracted my attention at all. Nor the chime of the school clock, signaling that lunch was already over. All of it was fixed on the gentle afternoon picture in front of me, and I found it hard to tear my gaze away from it - even with Bakura out of it, I still found the view absolutely perfect..

"Now this is the only thing my former city doesn't have."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Things progressed slowly after that fateful incident, including another series of events like me standing in the hall for two consecutive subjects (I slept in the middle of both), and tons of nonsense group discussions which I never bothered to listen to. I still wasn't wearing the prescribed school uniform by the way, and that was referred to me (more like nagged) by the professors a thousand times. It looked so cute to watch all of my classmates' stoked faces as me and my professors exchanged witty answers and questions, all of which led to the result of us not taking our lesson for the rest of the period. Boy, can I get cranky at times. 

But after being made to stand in the hall for 3 subjects, who wouldn't be?

Yugi and his cousin just stared at me, dumbfounded when they heard my story that dismissal.

"Wow! I never thought that you can do that!" Yami exclaimed. "You sure got some guts, Devlon! Luckily the teachers never gave you any serious punishment for that!"

His little look-a-like was chewing on his choco bar while listening. "You should've been there in my classroom, cuz. They were bickering nonstop that all of us had to step out of the classroom to stop them from arguing!"

"Well it's their fault for making me stand outside in the first place," I said smugly. 

"But still," Yami cut in. "It was rather impolite. Next time, try not to lose your temper, okay? You shouldn't push their patience to the limit. The last time Bakura did that, he was suspended from the school for a whole semester - "

"Bakura?!"

"Yeah. Bakura, my classmate and band member. For him to pass that said semester, he had to retake all of his subjects."

"And I heard that it was hell for him," Yugi chimed in. "Right now he's finishing all off them, then after that he'll have to take the subjects that Yami took."

"Sounds like a lot of work. Bu why did Bakura lost his temper like that?"

Yami shrugged. "It's in his nature to be so temperamental. Even for no reason at all, he's always pissed off at something or someone."

_But that's not how I met him earlier._I thought, thinking about the event where we talked briefly. Wait, on second thought.maybe he _was_ pissed. By the way he reacted when his fangirls started screaming his name, and by the way he referred to his sandwich. I chuckled a bit at the thought. 

The boys looked at me with curious expressions. "Are you alright?" Yugi asked, throwing his choco wrapped in a nearby trash can, shooting it basketball-style. He then glanced back at me. Yami did the same.

"I'm okay.it's not like I've gone insane or anything. Don't worry."

"Tch.are you sure you're not insane yet?"

Yami only sweatdropped, as I chased after his cousin waving my fist in the air. "YOU'RE SO GONNA GET IT, YUGI MUTOU!" The latter screamed and dashed towards the game shop. 

"YAMI, HELP ME!!!"

                *snicker* "You're on your own, Yugi. In fact, you deserve it!" his cousin yelled. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Wai! There goes chapter four! Hope you liked it; and I know that it's not that great yet! But please be patient, soon all of the good stuff will come one by one! Until then, I hope you leave a review and tell me what you think! You have every right to get mad at me (considering that I haven't updated in a long time.lolz). ^^; Hope to see ya all in the next chapter! Ja ne!! ^_____^ 


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